Remembering the 12
Miranda is remembered for her joyous attitude and passion for the Aggie family. She was Mosher Hall Bon re co-chair in 1999. It was there that Miranda found her niche at A&M. Shortly after her passing, Miranda’s family found an email she wrote that read, “God’s hand is always there. Once you grasp it, you’ll never want to let it go.” As a leader in her dorm, Miranda was dubbed the “Queen of Bon re.” Every year, her family makes a trip to College Station for the Bon re remembrance ceremony.
Christopher David Breen
Although he was from Austin and grew up with a family of Longhorns, Christopher was a dedicated Aggie. His commitment to his university is considered the reason he came back to participate in the construction of Bon re.Two years before the collapse, Christopher was the senior coordinator for the Brownpots. He was a member of the Corps of Cadets and attended St. Mary’s Catholic Church, devoting himself to his passion for the Catholic faith and to his fellow students in the Corps.
Michael Stephen Ebanks
Michael will always be remembered for his bravery, kindness and ability to embrace life. Michael came to A&M to study engineering and participate in A&M’s traditions, including Bon re. He spent his last moments trying to rescue his fellow workers. Some family members said that “Michael loved the human mind ... But he loved the human heart most; goodness knows he made his way into about a jillion of them. And he loved life beyond belief, as well as all that went with it.”
Jeremy Richard Frampton
“There is one thing I’ve learned. Sometimes the plainest things mean the most,” Jeremy wrote in a note to his mother. He is remembered for his compassionate and thoughtful nature, gentle spirit and willingness to help others. His close friend John Templer, Class of 1999, said Jeremy was “a phenomenal guy in all facets.” As an upperclassman in the Corps, Jeremy devoted a large amount of his time to Bon re. “He loved Bon re like no other. ... He truly died doing what he loved,” Templer said.
Jamie Lynn Hand
As she wrote in her application to be a Fish Camp counselor, the best way to get an idea of who Jamie was is to know what she liked to do. “If you were to ask other people about me I will bet you they would say I’m easy to get along with, fun, and a bit like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde the way I can be quiet and shy at one moment and loud and crazy the next,” she wrote. Jamie took pride in her involvement with Bon re and strongly believed in its ability to bring Aggies together.
Christopher Lee Heard
Christopher was a determined man who had a larger-than-life personality. He had an immense desire to help others, and he inspired his peers to trust him and follow his lead. He used his warm personality, keen sense of humor and spirit to make a special place in the hearts of many. The day before the collapse, he registered to join the Marines, which was one of his lifelong dreams. As the Stack began to collapse, he warned those below him, concerned about their wellbeing before his own.
Miranda Denise Adams
Biomedical sciences Class of 2002
Christopher David Breen
Agriculture development Class of 1996
Michael Stephen Ebanks
Aerospace engineering Class of 2003
Jeremy Richard Frampton
Psychology Class of 1999
Jamie Lynn Hand
Environmental design Class of 2003
Christopher Lee Heard
Pre-engineering Class of 2003
Timothy Doran Kerlee Jr.
Mechanical engineering Class of 2003
Lucas John Kimmel
Biomedical sciences Class of 2003
Bryan Allan McClain
Agriculture Class of 2002
Chad Anthony Powell
Computer engineering Class of 2003
Jerry Don Self
Engineering technology Class of 2001
Nathan Scott West
Oceanography Class of 2002
Timothy was a bright student, a teacher to anyone who needed help and a friend to each person he met. He left a legacy bigger than himself. Beneath the fallen logs, he lay pinned, but rather than letting rescue workers free him, he used his vantage point to direct rst responders to ve students he could see, shouting out, “Help my buddies rst.” Timothy was taken to the hospital and lived long enough to see his family and friends before he passed away, with a pair of boots and a saber by his hospital bed.
Lucas John Kimmel
An ardent follower of the Catholic faith, Lucas is remembered for his family devotion and his positive outlook on life. He made every second count, never looking back. He had dreams of traveling and partaking in adventures in every corner of the world, but what he enjoyed most of all was camping with his family. Lucas always made time for those he loved, including his family and his dog, Maverick. His love for animals grew day by day, inspiring him to come to A&M with hopes of becoming a veterinarian.
Bryan Allan McClain
Bryan was a passionate and loyal friend who lived fearlessly. He knew there was one school and one school only that he wanted to attend — A&M. He ercely believed in the idea that cadets were the “Keepers of The Spirit” and lived his life with that mentality. His neighbors described him as “the kind of kid you’d like your little brother, son or nephew to grow into.” Bryan’s portal reads, “It was said by many, that Bryan had put more into his 19 years of life than a person 80 years old.”
Chad Anthony Powell
Chad was known for his service, intelligence and kindness. Once, he and his father decided to go on a Boy Scout trip together. The two had planned to spend time with one another, but Chad volunteered to help younger scouts during a variety of service projects. Even though he missed out on time with his father, Chad said they took the trip to be in service to others. He was not only kind but extremely bright. He will be remembered as an Aggie who embodied the Core Values by all who knew him.
Jerry Don Self
“If others could only give like he gave, love like he loved, and live like he lived, what a wonderful place this would be,” his memorial portal reads. Jerry was a devout Christian who had a love for serving God. He was a camp counselor, as he loved working with kids, and he had hopes of becoming a youth minister. His most notable features were his contagious smile and his caring, sel ess heart. “He took the initiative to look past people’s faults and see their hearts, and cared for the hearts he saw," the portal reads.
Nathan Scott West
Nathan was admired and loved by family and friends, who attest to his embodiment of A&M’s Core Values. He was a devoted follower of God who truly knew how to care for others. Nathan’s Boy Scout troop, Troop 211, honors his legacy by leaving a seat empty at the ceremony any time a member of the Troop rises to Eagle Scout status. Nathan’s father described him as an inquisitive young man who somehow always found a way to get lost, but eventually found a home at A&M.
Miranda Denise Adams
Timothy Doran Kerlee Jr.
When the Lone Star rivalry stood still
“I think every player on that team will tell you that. Not only for ourselves, but for everyone involved with Texas A&M. We carried that burden on us.”
An initial tragedy
By Ian Curtis Features Editor
As the last notes of the University of Texas Longhorn Band’s performance of “Amazing Grace” and “Taps” echoed across Kyle Field on Nov. 26, 1999, something unusual happened.
The crowd of 86,128 — at the time the most to ever attend a football game in Texas — gave a standing ovation to the visiting band’s halftime performance, as tears flowed freely from both sides of the Texas A&M-Texas rivalry.
“Some people said after the fact that there wasn’t a dry eye in the stadium,” Longhorn Band saxophonist Joe Hasty said. “I’d have to believe that. It was somber. It was moving. ... It felt almost like a wake or a memorial service to some degree, the way everyone’s emotions had been building up to the game.”
The collapse of the Aggie Bonfire that killed 12 and injured 27 on Nov. 18, 1999 shattered a sense of normalcy for many in Aggieland and across the state. But the 20-16 A&M victory eight days later didn’t just give the Aggies a victory over a top-ten Texas team — it meant the community could finally begin to heal.
“It was never said — I don’t know that it was ever implied — but we felt like we had to win that game,” A&M linebacker Brian Gamble said.
Like many A&M students at the time, Stephen O’Neal, Class of 2001, was woken up in the early hours of the morning on Nov. 18 by an unexpected phone call.
“I’ll never forget,” O’Neal said. “My mom called me in the middle of the night. She wanted to make sure I was okay. I was like, ‘Why are you calling me in the middle of the night? What’s wrong?’ And she said Bonfire had fallen.”
Immediately, the Aggie community did whatever they could to help. And for the A&M football team, that meant being the ones to lift the logs off of the stack as first responders searched for victims underneath the fallen wood.
“Everybody that was in the locker room at that time was like, ‘We’re going over there to help,’”
A&M offensive lineman Seth McKinney said. “ … Whatever help we gave physically, I think that us being there was also very helpful emotionally to a lot of people.”
Eventually, as the debate over whether or not to play the game against Texas subsided, the team returned to practice as normal — not out of callousness or disregard but because normalcy was what the team and campus needed.
“Being out at practice was a release,” Gamble said. “It was a way for us to get away from all the feelings and all the emotions that came
with that moment. There was a focus. There was a determination … It allowed us to check some of those feelings at the door.”
The leadup to the game was characterized by mutual respect in the face of tragedy. An outpouring of support from the Texas community culminated in the band’s halftime performance dedicated to the fallen.
“Hopefully, we did something meaningful,” Hasty said. “We did what we could — what little we could — to help in the healing process. … I was just grateful that it seemed like we had done the right thing.”
Kickoff at Kyle Field
After kickoff, things were business as usual at Kyle Field — exactly what a grief-stricken campus needed. For one day under a cool November sky, Aggies could think about something other than Bonfire.
“For at least 24 hours, you get a chance to be happy and joyful where there was not much of that leading up to that point,” Gamble said.
And that meant the 12th Man got loud. So loud, in fact, Gamble couldn’t sneak up to the line of scrimmage and listen in on Texas quarterback Major Applewhite.
“I literally had to have been eight feet from him, and I couldn’t hear a word he was saying,” Gamble said.
“You get the eerie silence at the beginning, of course the halftime show … then you get the excitement and the energy of the end of the game, and the joyful tearfulness of the end. It was a lot of emotion in four hours.”
O’Neal could not only hear the noise from his spot in the third deck of the student section — he could feel it, too.
“The old Kyle Field, when things happened that were nuts, you could feel the whole stadium move,” O’Neal said. “When people would move, the stadium would go crazy. It was just insane.”
But the most enduring memory of that game for many of those in attendance did not come at the game’s loudest point — but rather its quietest.
After the Longhorn Band’s performance honoring the victims of the tragedy, the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band had a show of their own, culminating in the iconic Block T formation as usual. Only this time, the band — and all of Kyle Field — remained completely silent.
“The Silent T was just incredible because the Aggie band is always amazing,” O’Neal said. “But you’re not used to seeing that done in silence. It was very respectful and just one of those moments where the whole stadium held their breath.”
The crowd began to reach a fever pitch as the clock ticked toward zero and the Aggies took the lead in the fourth quarter off of a 14-yard touchdown pass from senior QB Randy McCown to senior wide receiver Matt Bumgardner.
And when Gamble recovered the game-sealing fumble on the ensuing drive, every emotion came pouring out. Joy, euphoria, grief, pain, sorrow and sadness all combined in one moment into a single sound that the 12th Man will never utter again.
“You could feel this visceral yell,” McKinney said. “It was just
the loudest unleashing of so much built-up emotion. That is something that I’ll never forget.” At the bottom of the dogpile, all Gamble could feel was relief.
“I knew what that moment meant,” Gamble said. “I vividly remember thinking about that and what this meant to me, to our team and to our university. I just held on for dear life … then it was, ‘Thank you, Lord.’”
Aftermath
In the 25 years since the game, countless Aggies have talked to Gamble about their reaction to his fumble recovery. It’s those conversations that helped the moment sink in, Gamble said.
“The recovery, the style and manner in which it happened and how it helped them heal and how it affected their family, that’s where it’s come to me,” Gamble said. “Yes, it was a big play for a young man. But if you really take a step back and look at it from 30,000 feet, it’s what it meant to other people and what it still means to this day.”
Hasty later withdrew from Texas and made his way to Blinn College, eventually graduating from A&M in 2006. After arriving in Aggieland, one of the first things he sought out on campus was the Bonfire Memorial.
“Having that second shot at life, that second shot at education, I tried to make the best of it,” Hasty said. “The people that didn’t make it through that, they didn’t have a second chance. And that’s why I tried to make sure my second chance didn’t go to waste.”
A group of Aggie fans don shirts reading “Remember ‘99” in honor of the victims of the Bonfire collapse during the Texas A&M-Texas football game at Kyle Field on Nov. 26, 1999.
The Texas Longhorn offense lines up against the Texas A&M Aggies defense during the Texas A&M-Texas football game at Kyle Field on Nov. 26, 1999.
Photo courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics
Photo
‘One Tradition, One School, One Spirit’
From ‘burning desire’ to ‘undying flame,’ the tradition continues
By Theresa Lozano Life & Arts Editor
Aggie Bon re symbolizes “the burning desire to beat the hell out of t.u. and the undying love all Aggies have for Texas A&M,” according to the Corps of Cadets’s handbook, The Cadence. As decades pass and Bon re continues, its history and importance to the Aggie Spirit only deepens.
Dating back to the early 1900s, the rst bon re was burned to congratulate the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas football team after a recent win. By 1909, the tradition was moved to campus. Over the next decade, Aggie Bon re was held to spark passion for other sporting events — eventually narrowing down to the Thanksgiving rivalry football matchup against the University of Texas at Austin.
Originally burned on Simpson Drill Field, Bonre constantly evolved, moving around over the next 89 years as its lore deepened. Only two times in that window did Bonre not burn: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, which saw the stack being dismantled out of respect for the president, and its collapse in 1999.
In 1942, Universal Pictures came to A&M to shoot the World War II propaganda lm “We’ve Never Been Licked,” using a prop bon re in a teepee shape to allow for a taller design. The structure was fully adopted by Aggies soon after, achieving a world record of the tallest bon re in 1969 at 109 feet and 10 inches.
Later shifting to a wedding cake tiered system in the 1970s, which is still roughly used today by the student-run group, Bon re currently sits no taller than 32 feet at the tip of the logs and 35 feet where the outhouse sits at the top.
In response to Aggies’ penchant for driving to Austin and snatching city limit signs to sit atop the structure, the city of College Station began manufacturing the signs to stop the thefts. The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band then began building an outhouse to top the stack — painted burnt orange with “t.u. frat house” on the front. Bon re has faced multiple potential attacks throughout its history, from Longhorns to a police ocer, so students still stand on guard and monitor the site to this day.
It was only in 1936 when Bonre was o cially recognized as an on-campus event. In support, the university began supplying axes, trucks and saws to students.
The building process was built and torched by the Corps until the Bon re Committee replaced its command structure in 1965.
After the university made Corps membership voluntary and civilian students became involved, ranks and roles were established by the color of volunteers’ helmets, or “pots,” where Redpots are ranked highest.
Since women weren’t allowed into the university until 1974, they could not actively participate in construction until the late 1970s, only becoming fully incorporated into most aspects by the mid-1990s.
On Nov. 18, 1999, Bon re collapsed during its construction, killing 12 and injuring 27.
At 2:42 a.m., the 59-foot tall structure made up of more than 5,000 logs toppled at the Polo Fields, the last location of an on-campus Bonre. Built ve years later, the Bon re Memorial resides at the same location.
The memorial comprises three sections, each evoking a partic-
ular aspect of the Aggie Bon re: tradition, history and spirit. The design is deliberate in every sense, with each of the 89 granite blocks lined along History Walk representing a year Bon re burned between 1909 and 1998. Notches cut at a point 11/12ths of each stone’s width represent November, the month Bon re burns. Amber lights set within the notches illuminate the walk at night, symbolizing the burning Bon re.
Along with plaques for students lost in Bon re-related accidents in previous years, there are 27 granite blocks connected by 12 portals that form the Spirit Ring that recreates the perimeter around the Bon re stack.
Bronze plaques set into each block represent the 27 Aggies injured in the collapse, yet all are left blank in recognition of those who were injured throughout Bon re’s history. Portals representing each Aggie lost point to the hometown of that student, and each bronze portal is engraved with the victim’s portrait, signature and a reection written about them.
After the university canceled Bon re after the collapse, the Aggie Spirit continued with an uno cial, student-run burn in November of 2002. The following year, the event was rebranded as Student Bon re, a non-profit organization under the name Bon re, LLC. The stack site, now located o Old Hearne Road, Bryan, has used the same design since 2003 and ensures that every log touches the ground for stability. Student Bon re has also reinforced safety practices to mitigate accidents.
Earlier this year, discussions were had on the possibility of Bon re returning to campus ahead of the Lone Star Showdown and the revival of the Texas rivalry. But to many’s dismay, the committee heading the process proposed it be designed and built by engineers and contractors — not students. The backlash led to President Mark Welsh III announcing the proposal’s death soon after, saying the “wonderful and tragic part of Aggie history” will “remain in our treasured past.”
Student Bon re continues to burn to build another and is currently constructing this year’s stack. Set to burn on Nov. 29, the night before this year’s historic Texas game, “the undying ame” lives on.
A timeline of on-campus Bonfire
From teepees to wedding cake tiers: a look back at over a century of A&M’s burning tradition
Generally accepted as the beginning of the bon re tradition. Students piled high a stack of trash and pallets next to a train station to celebrate the then-named Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas’ football victory over Tulane, and a tradition was born.
The rst on-campus bon re — a pile of trash and debris — is held. Rather than being in celebration of one speci c victory, it was burned to generate interest in an array of upcoming sporting events. Though not much is known about this original bon re, it was the o cial start of the on-campus tradition.
1907
1909
The bon re was set to burn mere days after the assassination of then-President John F. Kennedy. Rather than go ahead with the burn, students dismantled the stack out of respect. “It is the most we have and the least we can give,” head Yell Leader Mike Marlowe said.
1963
This year’s stack set the world record for bon res by height: 109 feet and 10 inches. The current bon re measures roughly 35 feet at the top of the outhouse. The stack measured 59 feet at the time of its collapse in 1999.
1969
Women are o cially welcomed into Bon re. Later, they will go on to form the all-female Bon re Reload Crew and, eventually, gain their own position within Upper Leadership, the Greenpot. Today, there is one all-female crew in Bon re: the Legett Ladies.
1981
Women are o cially welcomed into Bon re. Later, they will go on to form the all-female Bonre Reload Crew and, eventually, gain their own
At 2:42 a.m. on Nov. 18, 1999, the 59-foot bon re collapsed, trapping several volunteers beneath the roughly 5,000 logs making up the construction, leaving 12 dead and 27 injured. A&M and the community came together to perform rst aid and save as many of those trapped as possible.
1999
The “Unity Project,” the rst uno cial bon re after the collapse, is planned. In the next year, the uno cial event was named Student Bon re. Now a 501(c)(3) nonpro t organization under the name Bon re, LLC, the uno cial organization keeps the undying ame alive.
2002
Those who maintain the memory
Dozens of volunteers prepare for collapse anniversary by tending to Bonfire Memorial
By Shalina Sabih Features Writer
Under Friday’s soft morning light, around 50 people walked in and out of the Bonfire Memorial, prepared to preserve the 12 lives lost in the tragic 1999 Bonfire collapse.
Every November, Texas A&M students, alumni and community members gather at the Bonfire Memorial. While the collapse anniversary ceremony, with the portals lit, “The Last Corps Trip” recited and the names of the 12 read aloud, is well-known, another, quieter tradition takes place in the days leading up to it. In a smaller, lesser-known act of reverence, volunteers ranging from current Texas A&M students to University of Texas at Austin alumni come together to clean the memorial. They wipe away the dirt and wear of the past year as they prepare the site for the solemn anniversary soon to come.
Under the guidance of Morgan Hayes, the University Art Galleries’ administrative assistant, and Amanda Neel, the J. Wayne Stark Galleries’ collections manager, the volunteers carefully and respectfully clean and care for the sacred ground.
Hayes and her coworker, Neely, arrived around 8 a.m. on Nov. 8, undeterred by the drizzly morning and somber gray clouds. The only color in the gray and bronze circle
was the vibrant red roses anonymously placed in the middle of each portal.
“We took a moment before we started anything and let the memorial be at peace before we started the cleaning process,” Hayes said. “The realization of what you are doing at this event is important, and you want to make sure everything is to the best standards.”
Hayes said the presence of so many volunteers significantly eased the work of cleaning and preserving the memorial. Listening to loved ones share memories of those who have passed made the experience even more meaningful.
“This was personal in a way because my dad graduated a year before the accident and knew one of the people that passed away,” Hayes said. “To me, this is a very good way of preserving memory, and part of why we study history is to carry the past to the present.”
The gray and white pathways welcomed a diverse gathering: college students, community members and Texas alumni. No Longhorns present spoke of the upcoming A&M-Texas game, as the cleanup turned rivalry into camaraderie.
The Longhorns were represented by the Texas Exes, whose Brazos Valley chapter marked its second year participating in the event under the leadership of their president, Amy Vance. A current A&M employee and former Texas student, Vance said that ever since she saw an email about the event, her chapter has joined the cleanup. She said the collapse emotional even for Longhorns, and it’s something she felt tied the two institutions together.
“For the past two years, seeing Longhorns is a surprise on other people’s faces,” Vance said. “For our chapter, cleaning was a way of honoring and giving back to students and young people who were out there to do something fun.”
Dawn dish soap and scrubbing brushes weren’t enough to preserve the solemn beauty of the memorial. Meticulous cleanup involved a series of careful tasks: picking up trash, spraying ant killer, pulling weeds, dusting out wasp nests, scrubbing the bronze walls and waxing the tall, curving portals. Each action is a labor of respect, carried out with precision to honor the space and the memories it holds.
“Cleaning helps safeguard this piece of art, and this was a large tragedy for the community because family members of the 12 are still alive, around and in town,” Hayes said. “We want to do our best to maintain the memory of their loved ones.”
Anthropology junior Rileigh Johnston was one of the many volunteers who began their morning by washing the portals. With each scrub, she said she would step back and take in the engravings to reflect on the legacy sustained in each line.
“I washed the archways and stone and put a lot of thought and effort into waxing these memorials,” Johnston said. “I stopped to read the marble slabs, and the amount of effort poured into every person’s portal was inspiring. And it was important to clean the memorial because people deserve to see how much the victims were loved.”
As the collections manager, Neel played a crucial role in preserving
these monumental memories. She said the gallery uses a unique soap called Orvus Paste, a gentle cleanser originally designed for horses. The soap is free from abrasive particles, which is essential to avoid damaging the patina on the bronze, particularly on the main portal section.
“We use specially designed brushes to prevent scratching and avoid power washing because the pressure can harm the granite,” Neel said. “These sculptures and monuments are more than just art. They hold the memories, stories and spirit of the people and moments they represent.”
By day’s end, a fresh layer of Trewax was applied to each portal, sealing in and shining the stories they embodied. This final step not only protected the panels from weathering but also enhanced their luster, ensuring they stood proudly, each surface reflecting the history built stone by stone.
“As the microfiber pads buff in the wax, it’s as though each statue is rejuvenated, ready to preserve these stories for another year,” Neel said. “This is important be-
cause it’s inviting future generations to connect with the past.”
As the day progressed, the clouds began showing signs of rain. But the crew wasn’t worried as they finished cleaning the memorial, leaving it spotless in record time. Their careful efforts left the memorial gleaming. Every bronze panel and marble slab radiated with the care poured into the task.
“We are making a tradition of ourselves in a sense to remember the ones before us,” Neel said. “It is a tragedy, but it is important to not forget the ones that passed on.”
Every scrub, every layer of wax and every careful brushstroke help keep their stories alive, ensuring that the memorial remains a lasting tribute to the fallen.
“I was young but alive when the Bonfire collapse happened, and I do remember the shock that went through the city and even the state,” Neely said. “Getting out there and taking care of it for me is just part of keeping the memory of those students alive and making sure in some way they’re still part of the Aggie family.”
Ani Tummalapalli — THE BATTALION
Bonfire Memorial on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. The memorial honors the lives of the 12 Aggies lost in the Bonfire collapse on Nov. 18, 1999 at 2:42 a.m.
Photo courtesy of Christian Hamilton
A volunteer cleans a portal plaque on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024.
The cleanup group uses specialized cleaning materials to maintain the Bonfire Memorial on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024.
Photo courtesy of Christian Hamilton
We are Bonfire, and Bonfire survives
'We burn to build again' — the most important word in that phrase is the fi rst one
By Charis Adkins Opinion Editor
Aggie Bonfire’s motto is simple:
“We burn to build again.”
The most important word in that phrase is the very first one. We the students, we the former students, we the Aggies, we are the ones who build, we are the ones who burn and we are the ones who remember why we do it.
We the Aggies brought Bonfire back when the university swept it under the rug after 1999. It took years, but it was students and former students who reincarnated this tradition. Bonfire was reborn a literal phoenix from the ashes; each year a new fire emerges, raising fiery wings over the ashes of its forefather.
These ashes tell a story. They’re all that remains of an entire semester’s worth of blood, sweat and tears. They’re the logs, baling wire, torn grodes, flattened Brisk cans and dropped wire hooks that found their way into Stack before Burn. With each new fire, we add to the tapestry of memory and grit that keeps us going.
We the Aggies brought Bonfire back from the dead, and we the Aggies have stayed true to its
original intent year after year. Contrary to the attempts of some of the Board of Regents, we did not allow our tradition to be subsumed by heavy-handed bloodsucker types or exploited to finance another Kyle Field renovation.
The university may continue to facilitate the memorial, but they lost their chance at Bonfire proper in 1999. No amount of pandering or bullying is going to incentivize us to hand it over willingly, something the board must have realized when they quietly shelved the idea and hoped we’d all forget about it.
Bonfire survives. We Aggies make it so.
Bonfire is one of the most diverse, most improbable families you’ll ever meet, but we are a family. Aggies from all majors, ages and walks of life donate thousands of man-hours to come together and make something incredible. For an entire semester, we give our weekends to the woods. For all of November, we give our evenings and early mornings to stack site. For Nov. 18 we give everything to be standing together at 2:42 a.m.
The love of this tradition and our commitment to it is what binds us together, uniting our differences
with the burning desire.
Every year new desires are kindled as students step up, filling in the steel toes and pots of those who came before us and keeping the dream alive for those who will come after. We don’t do it for us — we do it for the 12, for the school we think so grand and for everyone who’s ever humped it to yell “Build the hell outta Bonfire.”
When I describe my time in Bonfire — the hundreds of hours, the blisters and bruises, the heat and the rain and the mud — to people who aren’t familiar with the org, I’m met with incredulity. “How much did they pay you?” is a question I get often, and one members are used to laughing off. More often, whoever I’m talking to will just look at me and ask one word: “Why?”
It’s a fair question. Why? Why do we sacrifice so much of our short time here at A&M to be outdoors doing brutal manual labor, all to build something that will be burned and done in one short night?
If you don’t know the answer to that, you’re not in Bonfire. As cliche as it sounds, from the outside looking in, you can’t understand it. And, try as I might, from the inside looking out, I can’t explain it.
Why do I love Bonfire? Because even though I haven’t been able to attend a single cut or stack shift this season, I know I could show up and be welcomed with open arms. I know that I and every other Aggie there are there for the same reason, sweating through 105-degree days
and
shivering through 40-degree nights to keep Bonfire alive. And that’s special, don’t you think?
We are Bonfire. We are the burning desire. We burn to build again.
Charis Adkins is an English senior and opinion editor for The Battalion.
Ani Tummalapalli — THE BATTALION A Redpot swings his torch in anticipation of Burn on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023.
Abdurahman Azeez — THE BATTALION
The Brownpots demonstrate how to carry a log during Student Bonfire's cut class in Rudder Auditorium on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024.
Ani Tummalapalli — THE BATTALION
Aggies bow their heads in prayer before Burn on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023.
THE BATTALION The Redpots and Brownpots introduce themselves during Student Bonfire's cut class in Rudder Auditorium on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024.
A&M returns recharged
Ol’ Sarge takes on Pistol Pete in Saturday night showdown
By Noah Ruiz Sports Writer
Thanks to an idle week of conference-wide shakeups, No. 14
Texas A&M football maintains control of its destiny in its quest for its rst-ever bid in the Southeastern Conference Championship game. Winning out is the name of the game for the Aggies to reach Atlanta, and it all starts with a Saturday evening matchup against New Mexico State under the lights of Kyle Field.
Like A&M, New Mexico State also shares the “Aggie” moniker for its team and students, although A&M was founded 12 years before NMSU in 1876.
But in a contest full of narratives, perhaps the biggest of them all is how the Maroon and White run game will respond to the loss of junior running back Le’Veon Moss. The Louisiana native had become the team’s heartbeat, accounting for a team-high 765 yards and 10 touchdowns until a lower leg injury versus South Carolina sidelined the breakout star for the remainder of the season.
A&M will now have to rely on a depleted running back room that has seen two of their four scholarship running backs go down with injuries throughout the 2024 campaign. Junior RB Amari Daniels is poised to take on the RB1 role with Moss absent, sporting a
team second-best 466 yards and six touchdowns this season.
Graduate RB EJ Smith IV will be next in command behind Daniels, who has contributed in small amounts as the third-down back for the Aggies. However, with only 26 yards against Missouri as his season best, Smith will have to muster up his best in the waning weeks of the season to make an all-too-necessary impact on the A&M rushing attack.
New Mexico State also relies heavily on the run, accounting for 1,690 yards this season. Junior RB Seth McGowan leads the charge for the New Mexico State attack with 636 yards and three touchdowns. Junior RB Mike Washington is leading the running back crew in touchdowns this year and creates a one-two punch alongside McGowan with 536 yards and six scores.
Despite lofty numbers of production, the dynamic duo of McGowan and Washington will have their work cut out for them as they are set to face one of the premier defensive lines in the country.
A spoil of options to get the job done is an A&M luxury — none more intimidating than junior defensive end Nic Scourton.
Scourton ranks 10th in FBS for tackles for loss with 12.5 and has registered ve sacks this season. The local kid from Bryan has solidi ed himself as one of the best defensive linemen in the country, having been named a semi nalist for the Lombardi Award earlier this month.
More of an unsung hero is junior nose tackle Albert Regis, who has been quietly anchoring a stout Aggie line with 23 tackles this season. Regis’ command of trenches as a down-and-dirty player aids
the rest of the Wrecking Crew in plugging the run and creating opportunities to sack the quarterback — look out for Big Al.
New Mexico State’s defense, though, is more an Achilles heel than anything else. Sitting in the bottom 10 in the country, New Mexico State is giving up an average of 37.11 points per game and will be facing a proli c dual-threat quarterback in redshirt freshman Marcel Reed. Either through the air or on the ground, Reed will look to make life miserable for a team that lies at on the bottom of Conference USA.
Senior DE Kale Edwards is about the only bright spot on an otherwise lackluster roster, registering four of New Mexico State’s 11 sacks this season. Edwards will be in for an uphill battle, as junior left tackle Trey Zuhn III will be quite the mountain to move. If sophomore left guard Chase Bisontis can make a comeback this week on Zuhn’s side, a consistently clean pocket may be likely for A&M.
A&M nds itself in a comfortable position just outside the College Football Playo , being just a couple of signature wins away from solidifying itself in the postseason. Before any attempts to tame the last of the SEC Tigers or saw some horns o , A&M must take care of business against an ailing New Mexico State team and prove it is up to any challenge. New Mexico State will aim to be a hiccup in A&M’s SEC reign of terror, but when the team is clearly outmatched on both sides of the ball and favored to lose by 40 points, perhaps ESPN Analytics’ giving New Mexico State
one in 100 odds to win the game is just about right.
Chris Swann — THE BATTALION
Texas A&M defensive back Dezz Ricks (10) smiles after making an interception during Texas A&M’s game against Arkansas at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024.
Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) prepares to receive a snap during Texas A&M’s game against Arkansas at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024.
Texas A&M defensive back Dezz Ricks (10) celebrates his interception during Texas
A&M’s game against Arkansas at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024.
Texas A&M wide receiver Noah Thomas (3) runs the ball for a touchdown during Texas A&M’s game against Arkansas at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024.
Chris Swann — THE BATTALION
Adriano Espinosa — THE BATTALION
A&M backfield looks to replace Moss
New-look Maroon and White offense meets weak NMSU defense
By Eric Liu Sports Writer
Following a week to regroup after a 44-20 loss against South Carolina, No. 15 Texas A&M football is back home at Kyle Field to face New Mexico State for Senior Day at 6:45 p.m. Saturday.
A year after winning 10 games for the rst time since 1960, the New Mexico State Aggies are facing a down season with a 2-7 record coming into the game. A&M is currently a 40.5-point favorite, meaning plenty of opportunities for an o ensive bounce back.
For the rst time this season, the Maroon and White will be without the heartbeat of their o ense and leading rusher, junior running back Le’Veon Moss, after he suffered a season-ending leg injury against South Carolina.
Junior RB Amari Daniels is expected to pick up the bulk of the workload, with graduate EJ Smith stepping in as the backup running back.
While Moss has been A&M’s most consistent player, Daniels is right up there with him and should nd plenty of running room against New Mexico State’s porous defensive front. A bigger back with plenty of speed, expect to see him break free for a couple of chunk plays this Saturday.
While New Mexico State is ranked in the bottom 10 in the FBS in both total yardage and points given up, it plays a tricky
brand of defense that could lead to some confusion.
“They get in and out of three down, four down,” coach Mike Elko said. “They play a lot of different coverages. And so they’re going to challenge us to identify fronts, identify pictures and make sure that we’re operating at the level we need to operate.”
Junior left tackle Trey Zuhn III will be responsible for picking up the edge rushers in New Mexico State’s blitz packages, and his primary opponent will also be New Mexico State’s best defender, senior defensive end Kale Edwards. Edwards leads the team with four sacks and uses his speed rush moves to quickly get pressure on the quarterback.
Redshirt freshman QB Marcel Reed got the nod over redshirt sophomore QB Conner Weigman ahead of the game against South Carolina, and it’s his job for the foreseeable future.The Gamecocks got the memo after Reed gashed the LSU o ense on the ground, and made sure to keep a spy on him at all times. Reed should expect the same look from New Mexico State, which means he’ll need to make them respect his throws by beating them through the air.
In a season where the Aggies haven’t had a true No. 1 option at wide receiver, senior Troy transfer WR Jabre Barber appears to be Reed’s favorite target. A shifty slot receiver, Barber led A&M with 80 receiving yards and a touchdown in its loss against South Carolina. He should see plenty of open targets in the quick game this week against the weak New Mexico State secondary.
Wrecking Crew’s path to redemption
By Mathias Cubillan Sports Writer
With only three regular season games left and the race for the College Football Playo reaching a fever pitch, No. 15 Texas A&M’s defense will look to get right against New Mexico State at 6:45 p.m. Saturday following a collapse against South Carolina two weeks ago.
“I think everybody in our building understands these opportunities don’t come along all the time,” coach Mike Elko said. “We have a special chance where we’re at this point in the season, and we control everything. You certainly want to take advantage of those opportunities when they present themselves.”
For a defense that had been one of the SEC’s premier units, the group seemed powerless in a primetime road defeat against the Gamecocks. The performance was marred with 25 missed tackles, including 12 forced missed tackles from redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers, and an inability to sack the quarterback behind one of the country’s worst o ensive lines.
Despite the letdown in Columbia, South Carolina, A&M has a chance for a tuneup against a largely impotent New Mexico State attack. As the nation’s 17thworst scoring o ense, New Mexico State has been solely dependent on gimmicks to generate any semblance of an o ense.
New Mexico State has been dealt a tough hand at the sport’s most important position. Starting senior QB Deuce Hogan su ered a season-ending collarbone injury in September, sophomore QB Parker Awad was benched after a string of poor performances and now New Mexico State is relying on a two-quarterback platoon to keep it a oat.
Junior QB Santino Marucci operates the base o ense with a blend of passing and traditional running concepts, while mildly-athletic senior QB Brandon Nunez comes in to operate a package of plays that emphasizes the quarterback’s legs. The musical chairs situation at quarterback has left New Mexico State with the 111th-ranked passing o ense.
To make up for the lack of efciency through the air, New Mexico State has a pair of bruising running backs that each average ve or more yards per carry. Junior running back Seth McGowan and junior RB Mike Washington have combined for 957 yards and nine touchdowns. Both backs are over
six feet tall and use their burly frames to get downhill in a hurry.
“O ensively, [New Mexico State’s] got quite a few talented skill kids,” Elko said. “They’ve got two running backs who are really talented. Seth McGowan is a Texas kid who signed in Oklahoma out of high school and has wound up at New Mexico State, and he’s a really, really talented back.”
Early in the game for A&M, the interior defensive line will need to hold its ground and improve its tackling to allow the A&M offense to get out to the expected big lead. Should junior defensive tackle Albert Regis and senior DT Shemar Turner plug up the gaps and ice out the New Mexico State running game, the Crimson and White will be forced to turn to a lifeless passing attack.
“You certainly nd ways to reemphasize target [area] in [individual] work, in drill work [and] in isolated situations so that the approach stays the same,” Elko said on coaching tackling during the season. “The body control gets a little bit better, and then the target area on the nish needs to improve tremendously in order for us to successfully get people on the ground. I think it’s a refocus and a re-emphasis [on] some of those base fundamentals that you really want to harp [on] to make sure that you get that improved and xed.”
The New Mexico State wide receiver corps has struggled to nd its footing this year — in large part due to the play behind center — only nding the end zone three times as a unit. Freshman wide receiver TJ Pride found the most success, leading the team with 23 catches for 238 yards.
A&M’s cornerback duo of junior Kansas State transfer Will Lee III and freshman Alabama transfer Dezz Ricks will look to continue their strong seasons against an insipid group of wideouts.
In a game that A&M is expected to control from the opening kicko , New Mexico State gives the Maroon and White defense an opportunity to rebound and show that the performance against South Carolina was an aberration, not a foreboding sign of things to come.
“I think [it is] business as usual, but with maybe a little bit of a heightened sense of urgency that we don’t have any margin [for errors] and we’ve got to go,” Elko said. “It’s time to go.”
Kyle Heise — THE BATTALION
Texas A&M running back EJ Smith (22) rushes during Texas A&M’s game against Notre Dame at Kyle Field on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
Chris Swann — THE BATTALION
Texas A&M defensive lineman Shemar Stewart (4) pursues Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard (13) during Texas A&M’s game against Notre Dame at Kyle Field on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
Spotlight shifts amid Moss injury
By Justin Chen Sports Writer
Through nine games, the Top 25 has seen teams seeping in and being kicked out while playo -contending teams shu e between rankings themselves. Texas A&M is no exception, from sneaking into the Top 25 in Week 3 to jumping all the way to No. 10 in Week 10. But after a tough road loss to the on- re South Carolina Gamecocks, the Aggies now sit as the 15th-best team in the nation.
Coming o a bye week, A&M will look to get back in the win column and tune up its mistakes as New Mexico State comes into town. Here are some key players on both Aggies’ squads.
Amari Daniels, junior running back, Texas A&M
Fate is a cruel mistress, and it struck again in the A&M running back room. Already without sophomore RB Rueben Owens, junior
RB Le’Veon Moss — the Maroon and White’s most consistent o ensive player and spark plug — was ruled out for the season after sustaining a leg injury against South Carolina.
With postseason approaching for the hopeful Aggies, all eyes will turn to now-expected RB1 Daniels. Part of the one-two punch in the back eld, the Miami native will now share touches with graduate RB EJ Smith.
“Losing Le’Veon is a big loss,”
coach Mike Elko said. “That’s a lot of touches. We’re going to have to gure out the right way to handle that. There’s a lot of di erent opportunities and options for us to go about it. Amari is certainly one, [and] EJ is certainly one.”
As the season chugs along, Daniels has played his best ball in the past two games, rushing for 91 yards against then-No. 8 LSU and 83 yards against South Carolina, including a 56-yard house call that revived A&M’s rst-half e orts.
Though replicating Moss’ production is no easy task, Daniels has proven himself as a reliable, dangerous threat on the ground. With New Mexico State ranking as one of the worst defenses against the
run — letting up 204.8 yards a game — he’s due for potentially his highest rushing output this season.
Seth McGowan and Mike Washington, junior running backs, New Mexico State
Keeping it on the ground and in the trenches, New Mexico State’s o ensive identity is akin to A&M: It runs through its backeld. The Crimson and White also boast a two-headed attack in their running back room between McGowan and Washington.
McGowan has hit at least 50 yards on the ground in all but one game and has gotten better as the season has progressed. He notched his rst ever 100-yard game last week, pummeling Western Kentucky with 113 yards and a touchdown along with a season-high 47 receiving yards.
With Washington also joining the fun in rushing for 100-plus yards against the Hilltoppers — close to breaking his career high with 152 yards — New Mexico State’s o ense will be kickstarted by McGowan as he takes on the formidable A&M defensive front.
Nic Scourton, junior defensive end, Texas A&M
As the 2025 NFL Draft approaches, Scourton has made a name for himself as one of, if not the, top edge rushers in this year’s stacked class for all the right reasons. The Purdue transfer leads the team in sacks with ve, including a two-game span where he garnered 3.5 against Arkansas and Missouri, and also leads the defensive line in solo and total tackles.
But he also saw his fair share of struggles against the Gamecocks despite having the numbers to solidify himself as a top NFL Draft prospect.
While South Carolina kept tabs on Scourton on the scouting report, sending double teams whenever it could, redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers evaded his clutches multiple times as the Bryan native failed to tack onto his sack totals.
However, coming o a rejuvenated bye week, Scourton is due for another big game to both bolster his draft stock and help A&M get back on track etnering thenal stretch of the season.
By Matthew Seaver Asst. Sports Editor
No. 3 Texas at Arkansas
Saturday, Nov. 16 — 11 a.m. on ABC Razorback Stadium — Fayetteville, Arkansas
Texas embarrassed the Florida Gators in Week 11, 49-17 — which doesn’t say much, as the Gators have been the punching bag of the SEC this season. Arkansas used its bye week to recover from the beating it suffered at the hands of Ole Miss in Week 10 and prepare for coach Steve Sarkisian’s eccentric offense.
The Longhorns’ most impressive win came against the overperforming 6-4 Vanderbilt Commodores. Texas has still yet to defeat an elite program. The Razorbacks will need to dominate the time of possession to keep the Longhorns offense off the field for as long as possible. Longhorns, the eyes of Texas are upon you! Don’t disappoint!
Prediction: Texas 35, Arkansas 16
No. 23 Missouri at No. 21 South Carolina
Saturday, Nov. 16 — 3:15 p.m. on SEC Network
Williams-Brice Stadium — Columbia, South Carolina
The
No. 22 LSU at Florida
Saturday, Nov. 16 — 2:30 p.m. on ABC Ben Hill Griffin Stadium — Gainesville, Florida
The Tigers were mauled by the Crimson Tide in Week 11 42-13, further proving that the LSU defense has no answer when it faces an athlete under center.The Gators and their third-string QB got bombarded by the Texas Longhorns 49-17. Needless to say, both of these programs are in desperate need of a win.
The hopes of the boys in Blue and Orange depend solely on if freshman QB DJ Lagway is healthy enough to suit up. Redshirt Junior QB Garrett Nussmeier needs to pick things back up in order to save the Tigers’ season and his NFL Draft stock. Like Lana Del Rey’s husband, these Bayou Bengals know all about Gators, including how to beat them on the football field.
Prediction: LSU 31, Florida 21
of a three-game
The Gamecocks’ defense is surely licking its chops thinking about the possibility of facing the Tigers’ backup under center. Missouri has two elite pass catch-
ers, but they fail to properly utilize their talent without an efficient passer to get them the ball consistently. Despite their similar rankings and equally stout defenses, these two programs have drastically different levels of momentum. South Carolina is going to pound them till the sun don’t shine.
Prediction: South Carolina 42, Missouri 17
Texas A&M running back Amari Daniels (5) breaks a tackle during Texas A&M’s game against LSU at Kyle Field on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. Chris Swann — THE BATTALION
pitiful pussycats, a.k.a. the Missouri Tigers, narrowly defeated the lowly Oklahoma Sooners 3023 in Week 11. South Carolina finds itself in the midst
winning streak.
